With a side of at-home colon cancer screening please
Have you ever had beets for dinner? A nice side of roasted beets drizzled with balsamic vinegar and tossed into a salad with arugula and chèvre cheese. Sounds yummy, right? The following morning, during your (hopefully) daily evacuation, you forget that you had eaten beets the night before.
If you aren’t a connoisseur of beets, here’s a little trade secret, beets come out the same color they go in.
Everyone wants to be seen (your stool included)
Back to the moment of truth, you glance in the bowl before flushing (as you should because bowel movements can be important health indicators), only to see blood in your stool!
Hopefully, it doesn’t take long to remember the delicious root vegetable you ingested the night before, and you can slow your heart rate (just in time to jack it up again with that morning cup of coffee).
The lesson here, it’s important to know the state of your bowels (and beets are delicious in a salad).
Colonoscopy Prep, or being a tourist in Mexico and drinking the water?
Colon health is not something most people like to think about. As we age, we hear more and more “horror” stories of colonoscopy prep. If you’ve ever traveled abroad with a sensitive American gut and drank the water or ate questionable street food, you can relate.
That gut-wrenching, explosive, five-alarm, complete evacuation of bowels urging you (pleading with you) to stay near a bathroom in drawstring pants. Fear of colonoscopies, unfortunately, keeps some people from checking in with their gut health.
Thankfully, there are simple, private, at-home colon cancer test kits you can order. Best at home colon cancer test kits.
Clogged toilet or a clogged colon
Here’s the drawback, you have to play with your poo (with most of the tests). Okay, maybe play is a strong word, but you do get a bit up close and personal. But some might think, “better me than a strange doctor with a long flexible tube that might alarmingly inspire visions of that metal “snake” used to clear out clogged drains.”
I'll take the "no-touch" category please
If coming into close contact with your bodily waste is too much of a commitment for you, there are hands-off options. You still have to look at what comes out, but you don’t have to touch it.
It’s as simple as dropping in a special sheet of paper and waiting for the color to change.
The many wonders of at home colon cancer screening tests
At-home colon tests offer many advantages. The results come back within days. They are downloadable and easily shared with doctors. Medical professionals are on hand to advise in the case of a positive test.
The majority of the tests are relatively affordable. Some tests even advertise a “wand for easier collection.”
Baby steps
If you are concerned about your colon health but aren’t quite ready to make the leap to an intimate meetup with some flexible tubing, one of these test kits could be a great alternative.
If you notice what looks like blood in your stool and haven’t had beets in the last 36 hours, it’s probably time to call the doctor.
More about colon cancer screening, and a much-needed pun
Read this article to learn more about the ins and outs (pun intended) of at-home colon cancer test kits. How to do an at home colon cancer test